The impact of POS (Point of Sale) on government revenues/ An analytical study

Abstract

This research aims to define the concept of Point of Sale (POS) terminals and their role in financial transactions. It also seeks to identify the obstacles hindering the use of POS systems and their impact on government revenues. The University of Basra was the first Iraqi university to implement an electronic payment system (POS) for collecting transactions on campus, starting from June 1, 2023. Most students, assistants, and staff were provided with prepaid cards for electronic payment transactions. However, several obstacles arose during the implementation of this payment process. The research also attempts to address the problem of POS's contribution to increasing government revenues and minimizing the risk of errors. Therefore, the hypothesis is based on the premise that "the use of POS terminals leads to an improvement in the level of government revenues collected from educational institutions." The research's significance lies in its contribution to supporting government revenues and enhancing the state's ability to track revenues owed by educational institutions. The researchers prepared the applied aspect, which consisted of conducting a case study at an educational institution (Al-Nahrain University). The research reached several conclusions, most notably that the use of point-of-sale (POS) terminals contributes to increased government revenue and enhanced transparency in educational institutions, thus aiding the government's digital transformation and improving the efficiency of spending and revenue collection. The research also produced a set of recommendations, the most important being the need to expand the implementation of POS terminals in all government educational institutions, given their significant role in increasing revenue and improving revenue collection efficiency.